New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) – In between checking out the flamingoes and elephants at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans Friday, Newt Gingrich touched on challenges for Mitt Romney and why his GOP presidential rival is keeping Gingrich in the race.

He made the comments while chatting politics with his zoo tour guide, Audubon Nature Institute head Ron Forman.FULL POST

(CNN) – GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul kept his winless campaign afloat in February by spending nearly $300,000 more than he raised in the same month, according to a monthly financial disclosure his campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday.

Paul’s February spending of $3.54 million outpaced his fund-raising of $3.27 million, and he ended the month with $1.36 million in the bank. His campaign reported carrying no debt.FULL POST

(CNN) - The issue of whether English should be a requirement for Puerto Rico to be considered for statehood lasted for a third day - two days ahead of the U.S. territory's Republican presidential primary - and provided Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum with opportunities to take shots at each other.

The back and forth began Wendesday, when Santorum said while campaigning in Puerto Rico that English should be the principal language in Puerto Rico before it could gain statehood. Puerto Rico will vote on a statehood referendum in November.

(CNN) – An influential Christian leader is calling for the evangelical community to match the Catholic church's efforts mobilizing against the Obama administration's policy on contraception coverage.

"I'm asking evangelical churches to get as involved as the Catholic church has," said Chuck Colson, founder of the Prison Fellowship and the Christian radio broadcast Breakpoint. "Catechize members. If it's from the pulpit, that's fine. If by pastoral letter, that's fine. If by announcements at Bible studies, that's fine. The church in America is a sleeping giant. On an issue like this, it will be aroused."

(CNN) – Rick Santorum stood by his campaign website after a controversy over his position on pornography erupted on the internet Friday.

In an undated post, the Santorum website says the country is "suffering a pandemic of harm from pornography," including "profound brain changes in both children and adults," and the former senator from Pennsylvania told CNN on Friday that his administration would draw attention to the issue.FULL POST

San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN) - Minutes after his plane touched down on a Puerto Rican airport tarmac, Mitt Romney said he would not require the territory to make English its official language as a requirement for statehood.

"I don't have preconditions that I would impose" if Puerto Ricans voted to become the nation's 51st state, Romney told members of the media Friday, addressing the issue for the first time in person. English and Spanish are already the dual official languages on the island.FULL POST

CNN's GUT CHECK | for March 16, 2012 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

DEVELOPING: MILITARY PRESSED ON NAMING AFGHAN SHOOTING SUSPECT. The military says it is policy not to release the name until charges are filed. But that's not the law, says Gary Solis, adjunct professor of military law at Georgetown University and former Marine prosecutor. "As far as I’m aware there is no DOD policy that prevents the release of a name. Indeed we see names released all the time for cases that come up. So this is in my experience unique." LINKFULL POST

According to a Pew Research Center survey released last September, the public has serious trust issue with both politicians (59% did not trust information from Congress) and the media (39% did not trust national news organizations).

(CNN) - The question has been circling for days: If Newt Gingrich were to drop out of the race, who would get his supporters?

A new poll released Friday indicates that his base would split its vote evenly between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, the top two frontrunners vying for the Republican presidential nomination.FULL POST